Event Information

Date and Time

Location

Description

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a symposium specifically designed for women entrepreneurs on March 31 at Cornell Tech. The symposium will provide a unique opportunity for attendees to listen to a rich discussion from experts in the fields of intellectual property and small business growth and development.

The symposium will include a first panel discussion on gender gap in patenting that will examine the fact that women significantly lag behind men as patent holders and why women entrepreneurs should care; this panel will provide information on how to get started, why attorney representation could make a difference for the entrepreneur and special barriers women might face in seeking representation. A second panel will discuss the topic of gender gap in entrepreneurship and investigate the fact that there are significantly fewer women entrepreneurs than men. The panel will provide insight into what can be done and share resources to help reduce the gap.

The symposium will further include female inventors/entrepreneurs who will share their success stories for overcoming the odds and conclude with an interactive discussion between the audience and all the expert panelists.

The experts anticipated to share their experience and knowledge include:

Jamie Simpson, Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary and Director (USPTO)

KL Fredericks, Director (US Department of Commerce/ITA/USCS)

Linda Shudy Lecomte, Partner (Arent Fox LLP)

Marylee Jenkins, Partner (Arent Fox LLP)

Katie E. Wagner, Executive Director (Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts)

WE NYC Representative

A few notes:

For security purposes, you must RSVP (via a free ticket) with your full name. Security will not allow walk-ins who are not on the RSVP list.

The visitor entrance to the building is at the intersection of 8th Avenue and W 15th Street, and you will need to show some form of identification.

If you are taking the subway, the A, C, E, and L trains have a subway stop inside the building (14th street stop). The 1, 2, and 3 trains are a little over a block away at W 14th and 7th Avenue (14th street stop).